When you book a cruise, the cruise line reserves the right to change the itinerary at any time. That's because weather, political unrest, and a variety of other concerns can force a cruise line to change its plans.
In some cases, a medical emergency might force a cruise ship to change its route and that could impact a planned stop.
A recent sailing of Celebrity Cruise's Silhouette had to make an added stop to offload a passenger with a medical crisis. That caused the ship to land in San Juan in late afternoon rather than early morning.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line makes a controversial onboard-rule change
Because of the change, most planned excursions were canceled and refunded. That was a disappointment for some passengers, but it's not likely that too many people booked the trip because it stopped in San Juan.
In other cases, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian, and other cruise brands have to make choices that will upset passengers. All cruise lines, for example, have not been sailing in Israel because of the ongoing war there. That's at least something passengers who booked on ships that would have made stops there know well before their sailing.
Unplanned cancellations happen all the time, and that possibility often has passengers following the news in various countries to see if their port stop may get cancelled. One popular Royal Caribbean (RCL) destination has been in the news, and that has many passengers asking if their stop at a fan-favorite destination might get canceled.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Royal Caribbean deals with political unrest
Royal Caribbean has become known for its private destinations in the Caribbean. Perfect Day at CocoCay has become the standard for cruise line private islands and a favorite destination of many passengers.
Some passengers, however, prefer the cruise line's other Caribbean private stop, Labadee, Haiti. That area, which is a peninsula, not an island, has not been developed as much as CocoCay. It's more of a traditional cruise ship private destination offering beaches, an inflatable water park, a BBQ area, bars, and a roller coaster-like ride that takes people through the treetops.
Labadee lacks CocoCay's pools, its added-fee beach club, and its new adults-only area. To some cruisers, that makes it more pure, and it's a favored spot for many.
Many Royal Caribbean passengers, however, have been worried about whether their Labadee stop will be canceled due to political unrest in Haiti and the U.S. State Department's emphatic warning on the area:
"Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure. On July 27, 2023, the Department of State ordered the departure of family members of U.S. government employees and non-emergency U.S. government employees. U.S. citizens in Haiti should depart Haiti as soon as possible by commercial or other privately available transportation options, in light of the current security situation and infrastructure challenges."
Royal Caribbean shares good news (and a warning)
Royal Caribbean has canceled port stops to Labadee in the past due to the ongoing unrest in the country. That's not happening now, according to a report from Matt Hochberg of the Royal Caribbean Blog, which is not affiliated with the cruise line.
"While Labadee is indeed in Haiti, it’s a private port only accessible to Royal Caribbean. In fact, the area of Labadee is secured and monitored to ensure the safety of cruise passengers and crew members," he wrote.
Basically, while Labadee is technically in Haiti, it's actually a remote area that's more than a six-hour drive from Port Au Prince, the country's capital. Visitors to the Royal Caribbean island cannot go on excursions that take them outside the area controlled by the cruise line.
A spokesperson for the cruise line did issue.a broad safety warning in a statement to the media.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority. Our global security teams are closely monitoring the situation in the area. At all times, we remind guests to remain aware of their surroundings while ashore and follow all State Department guidelines. Should any changes be required, guests will be notified directly," the cruise line shared.
